Dry fire training is beneficial to both professional athletes and military personnel. Many believe that practicing at home rather than at a shooting range is more productive as high-level shooters use dry fire to preserve their skills. However, inexperienced gun owners can gain the most use by incorporating it into their training regimen. Dry firing has many beneficial effects on its usage, however, in the hands of an inexperienced firearm owner, it may not be as effective. Before we go into depth about the effects of dry fire training, what is the proper way to do it?
The most important thing to remember is before using your firearm, make sure it is empty. Once you’ve checked, enter your shooting position and focus your aim on something- even if you stick a piece of paper with a black dot on the wall. Practice proper eye alignment, vision, and breathing techniques (research shows breathing is of the utmost importance when firing a rifle). Once you’ve grasped the concept of those three skills, the next step is to pull the trigger. Pulling the trigger is the most important part of dry fire training because it can reveal any bad habits to you or those watching you. Subsequently, shooters usually modernize this process and add a target practice app in addition to the printed black and white targets. Today, such an app can be easily installed even on an ordinary smartphone.
Let’s say you’re training with a pistol. Grab a small coin if you have any pocket change and put it behind your sights. If the coin falls at any time during the exercise, there was something wrong with your form. The purpose of this exercise is to become so skilled with your weapon that the coin will never move when you squeeze the trigger. By the time you get to where the coin doesn’t move, you will have reached a point where you’re familiar with firearm targeting, which is another point that leads to more concern: safety.
As a firearm owner, one must always be concerned about their safety and the ones around them. Familiarity with how much of a risk having a gun is, how it works, and how to handle it is an essential aspect in eliminating the hazards that arise as a firearm owner without proper training. Those who are inexperienced with shooting should also attempt to get acquainted with firing a gun without the usage of live ammunition; which leads to another crucial reason dry fire training is important to beginners, as it can enhance their skills by identifying their limitations and the problems they need to improve upon. This can make them feel more confident and at ease with their weapon.
In conclusion, the benefits of dry fire training are by no means small. But, the difference between when you choose to use it may be key as it has proven to be more beneficial to the novice/inexperienced firearm owners that have just purchased a firearm, rather than those who have experience and are comfortable with using their firearm. The impact it has on those who regularly use the dry fire training method is clear as it reflects in the safety and skill of the owner.
